


The Swords of Seven: Everes Fireclaw

by Dragonsire21



Category: Dinosaucers, Extreme Dinosaurs, Jurassic Park (Movies), The Land Before Time (Movies)
Genre: Adventure, Combat, Emotional, Fantasy, Gen, Swords, no-ships
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-06
Updated: 2017-06-06
Packaged: 2018-11-09 20:06:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,120
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11111901
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dragonsire21/pseuds/Dragonsire21
Summary: Throughout the ages seven knights have sworn an oath and formed a covenant to protect the world. With each passing of these guardians, another steps up to take their place as protector of the Holy White Flame, the essence of life itself. Now the forces of darkness and an undying chaos threaten their world, plaguing seven new warriors of the modern age with nightmares of times long past. The call has been given, but will they have what it takes to answer it and take hold the swords of their predecessors and fight for not only the world of Soriendal, but their own as well?





	The Swords of Seven: Everes Fireclaw

Everes watched as everything he knew burned to ash in front of him. Flames and smoke billowed into the night sky from the remnants of homes and shops around him. Horses fled for their lives in every direction, leaving their fallen riders behind. The stench of blood and charred flesh seared itself into his brain as he ran through the village streets. A woman screamed in a nearby building, but soon her cries were forever silenced. Glass and wood fragments from smashed windows littered the cobblestone streets. Cinders danced around in the breeze while the agonizing cries of the Saurians being slaughtered rose like invisible mist in the cool night air.

He remembered the village guardsmen talking about the attack just days before.

The townsfolk had said things like, “Oh they’re just passing through, it’s nothing to worry about,” and, “Why would they want to fight us? We’ve always come to the humans’ aid when they’ve called upon us.” The possibility of an actual threat had no meaning to anyone in the community, even when it was looming over their heads like a stormcloud the entire time.

The elders of the village didn’t seem particularly concerned about the attack, either. Even with days in advance there was never any sign of heightened security or grounds patrols. He even recalled one of them declaring at a town meeting that, “They would have no reason to destroy us, for what have we done to humans to make them despise our kind? I believe that it is simply a hoax and nothing more.”

Now all he felt was the heat of the flames that burned his life to the ground, and an even stronger burn from the rage in his heart. Despite his small size and frail-looking stature, he wanted to prove to the world that he was not a child anymore and stand his ground. Even with his tattered, hole-ridden tunic and equally as ragged canvas shorts being his only protection from the chaos around him, the desire to show his true strength made Everes forget about all of the odds stacked against him, and he wanted to believe that he was far from helpless.

Some might have called it an act of pure rage-filled determination, while others would have called it a suicide mission with a better outcome. There was no one to stop him. Nothing stood in the raptor’s way when his wrath took hold. Everes retrieved a greatsword from the body of a slain knight. The weapon was difficult to hold at first, but Everes was no stranger to swords that required a little might to wield. The black steel blade reflected the light of the burning village with each swipe. A twisted grin began to form across his face. He knew what he needed to do.

The knight never saw Everes coming. The bastard’s horse went down first, and the knight tumbled over its head, landing hard on his back. Before the knight could even begin to pull himself up, Everes leapt forward and buried the black sword deep into the knight’s chest. His helmet’s face mask trickled with blood from its wearer’s mouth. Everes’ heartbeat filled his ears and his breathing became slow and vicious. He snarled through his teeth, embracing the rush of adrenaline that coursed through his veins like a poison he could never get enough of. The trembling in his hands was fierce, but at the same time invigorating. The grin on his face twisted into a mad smile at the sight of the body of the knight he’d just slain. He struggled to resist the urge to do even more damage than he already had. 

Three knights emerged from between two burning buildings on foot. All three were wielding the same sword that Everes slew the first knight with. A single knight alone was no challenge, but his confidence was quickly dashed when the number tripled. His eyes quickly darted between the three encroaching warriors, then towards the open road to his left. His heart sank into his stomach as he shakily gripped the sword and prepared to defend himself. One of the knights let out a wicked cackle when he’d noticed Everes’ knees were quivering as he stepped back from them. This once familiar weapon no longer felt comfortable in the raptor’s hands. His balance was quickly faltering, he needed to do something quick. One of the knights lunged at his throat in an attempt to strangle him. A split-second decision to duck underneath the massive steel-clad hand later and he was dashing away from his would-be killers as fast as his legs could carry him.

“Argh, you little shit!” the knight roared.

He sprinted up the street and ducked into the first building that wasn’t on fire. One of the knights was pursuing him, but he hadn’t seen where the other two went. Inside there was very little signs of fire damage on the first floor. To his right was a staircase that lead upward. Once he’d reached the top he found himself in a narrow hallway with two doors on each side. He picked the first one on his right and ran into the room before closing it behind him. He sighed, hoping that he’d managed to lose the knight on his tail. This moment of relief was short-lived, as the rhythmic vibration of someone pacing the floor beneath him made his heart sink when he realized that there was no way out. He slumped onto the wall separating him and the hallway, allowing himself to fall into a sitting position. The aging planks creaked audibly as he applied pressure to them with his back. 

It wasn’t long before he could hear the heavy thumping of boots ascending the wooden steps on the other side of the thin wall. Everes paused, struggling against the wild panic attempting to claw its way up his throat. He was trapped with nothing but a sword he could barely use. He had no training, no armor, and no skill in combat. The only thing he had was the element of surprise. He waited until the heavy footsteps reached the top of the stairs, and then he began to whimper. There was silence. He got to his feet and whimpered once more. The footsteps drew closer to the wall on the other side. He tried again, this time listening for the sound of the creaking wood. Just as he’d hoped, the same planks he’d leaned against made the tell-tale sound of someone who was leaning against it to listen into the room. Now was his chance.

He raised the sword and thrust it forward, through the wood, as hard as his slender body would allow. He fought back panic and the urge to flee as he waited desperately for any confirmation that he had killed his target. Finally he sighed deeply upon hearing blood trickling onto the floor. His curiosity got the better of him and he opened the door to see what he’d done. The sight of the knight pinned to the wall by his head was enough to make him retch. Despite what he’d done, he still yet lived. This fact alone was enough for Everes to pull himself together and prepare for the next encounter.

The air was deathly silent as Everes crept back into the ruined streets. He was alone for now, but there was no telling when another armor-clad knight would spring out of the shadows prepared to run him through with a sword. His own weapon lay flat against his shoulder, carefully positioned as to not cut his neck while he walked. Eventually he found himself entering the center of town. The grand stone water fountain was still standing, though the pool of water had run red with the blood of the villagers. Everes couldn’t help but wonder why a band of crusaders would want to attack an isolated village in the northernmost region of the continent. The nearest major trade route is nearly an hour by horseback assuming that the rider knew how to find it from town. He remembered his father telling him stories about the mountain range that he’d lived near, and that even the largest armies would gain no advantage over taking villages like theirs because of the ruthless terrain that they would need to traverse.

After a while the bodies started to look the same. The carnage faded into the hum of shock. He wants to embrace it, because it numbed him. Then he saw the rose, Red like the bloodstained cloak to which it was pinned. Red like the little flowers embroidered on her boots. It couldn’t be…

“Mother-- no...” His whisper turned to a quiet whimper.

He leaned his sword against the bench and knelt down, praying to any god that would listen that he be wrong. His hand trembled as his fingers lightly gripped the woven fabric of the hood. Tears ran down his face. Everes never had the chance to tell her goodbye one last time. He cradled her in his arms, sobbing deeply into her shoulder. There was no chance to bring her back. He cursed himself, directing all of his anger at his own weaknesses. He knew he wasn’t a soldier. He was just a young and naive Saurian who thought he could take on the world, but he failed to realize that when the world wants to bare it’s fangs, it can strike with the ferocity of a snake on the hunt.

His lamentation was interrupted by the sound of heavy boots approaching him from behind. Everes reached for his sword, but a massive hand grabbed him by the neck and threw him across the street. He somersaulted backwards before slamming to a halt against a lamp post. His head throbbed, but he could still move his limbs, putting at ease the fear of his neck being broken. Suddenly the knight had his hand around Everes’ throat before he had the chance to stabilize himself on his feet. He kicked and flailed as hard as he could when he felt himself being lifted up the pole, but the knight’s grip was far too strong for him to break free from.

“How fascinating, someone as weak and pathetic as you could kill two of my men without a scratch. It’s a shame your kind won’t be around to remember you for your deed,” the knight taunted.

Darkness was slowly consuming Everes’ vision. He fought to breathe, but his assailant’s hand was crushing his windpipe with no effort at all. This was the end. Two of the knight’s comrades had been felled by his hands, there was no way that this one would allow him to live for it. Once again, he was thrown to the ground. His shoulder stung from scraping the street on impact. Air rushed back into his lungs but the pain in his throat only grew worse with each cough and gasp. With what little strength he had he crawled towards the sword, still leaning against the bench. A swift kick to the ribs put him down once more, leaving him clutching his side. He could feel and hear his bones snap under the immense force. He fought to breathe, but his lungs refused to draw in air. The sickly metallic taste of blood lingered in the back of his throat. 

“Stop, please!” he pleaded, still painfully curled up on the ground.

The knight grunted with displeasure. He drove his boot straight into the raptor’s gut, lifting him a short distance into the air. Everes began to cry as he fought to breathe.

“Why…?”

He tried to drag himself away from his assailant, but with each short pull the knight would always be right next to him. With his left arm still trying to protect his battered ribcage, he used his right arm to pull himself as best he could across the rough street. Suddenly the knight crushed his hand into the rough stones, then grinded his foot back and forth, causing him to howl in anguish.

“Even the wolf clans of the north put up more of a fight. You’re capable of killing two of my own, but you cower like a hatchling when confronted?” The knight spat.

Everes felt the steel sole of the knight’s boot press against the side of his head. Time stood still as he waited for the inevitable. He could hear the knight muttering something under his breath. His heart was beating through his chest and his breathing grew erratic. His cries and sobs were ignored. Before he could beg for mercy the knight lifted his boot and cast him into darkness with a swift stomp to his skull.


End file.
